How We Work

Welcome from our CEO

Welcome to the Pathfinder Schools website.  I trust that you will find all the information  you need in these pages and that it will give you a sense of what it means to be part of  the Pathfinder Family.

Pathfinder Schools is a cross-phase, multi-academy Trust of 10 schools in the north of Northamptonshire.  Our Trust includes both church and community academies and we  work closely together, connected by the vision we share for our pupils. Each school  has its own unique character but we are unified by our unshakeable belief in the power   of education to change lives. We believe that staff and pupils can flourish when they   are happy and well-supported. We are inspired by the challenge of providing children   with a rich tapestry of experiences that allow them to explore the world and their place   in it.

I am proud of the fantastic team of people who work in our schools and central team  and I am grateful for the strong support of our amazing local governors, Trustees and  Members. Together we work hard every day to secure our vision and values by putting  children at the centre of our decision-making.

All Trusts face the challenge of developing a unique ‘dividend’ that separates their offer from that of others.  For me, what makes Pathfinder unique is the focus on developing each individual’s personal ‘greatness’ and the passion we all have for nurturing children both as learners and as citizens.

Welcome to our family.

Best wishes

Emma Sims
Chief Executive Officer

Our purpose

Our Trust is a growing family of schools, built on a commitment to​ the development of the children and young people in the communities we serve.​

We exist to deliver the very best educational outcomes for every learner. Based upon a foundation of independence, we empower young people to broaden their horizons and open their minds to new opportunities.  ​

​Our vision

At the heart of every Pathfinder School is the belief that life is about more than success; it’s about greatness. ​The secret to finding this greatness lies in our everyday​ actions that make life more fulfilling and more rewarding for us and those around us.

Together we want to develop inspirational schools which instil Aspiration, Responsibility and Courage in every learner, enabling them to find the greatness within them.

Our values

Our values stand at the very core of everything. They are the centre from which all we do and say radiates, guiding the way that we work together.

Aspiration – We aim high

Everyday we aim to be the best we can be. We are all striving to reach our own personal greatness. We recognise that we do not all start from the same place and we work to enable all to overcome barriers and achieve their full potential.

Responsibility – We play our part

We believe that we are all responsible for making Pathfinder Schools an inspiring place to work and learn. We hold ourselves accountable for our own actions, admit when we have failed against our own standards, feel comfortable asking for support and always strive to be our best selves.

Courage – We are brave

We are a Trust that faces challenges directly, we are honest about he decisions we make and the reasons for them. We support each other through difficult times in our learning and in our lives. We have the strength to persevere in the face of difficulty, uncertainty and challenge. 

How we work with our schools

Pathfinder Schools purpose is centred around a culture of collaboration between staff, schools and pupils. We are focused on creating locally centred schools that know each other well and support each other’s growth. Since we formed we have developed a range of services for our schools, growing these to deliver them in the most efficient and supportive ways possible. These include; 

• Security in a changing landscape - the education world continues to change at a dramatic pace, at Pathfinder Schools we work together to ensure we stay ahead of the curve and control our own destinies.
• Strength in collaboration – by combining the expertise within Pathfinder Schools with schools own professionals, we help our schools to make the most of their talents, whilst working together with a supportive team to navigate future challenges such as preparing for OFSTED or recruiting new staff.
• Support right from the start - helping with academy conversion for those who join us as we know this can be time consuming and daunting.
• Access to Pathfinder services - we provide a range of services such as school improvement, HR, finance, ICT, marketing and governance, which have been developed by the Pathfinder group of schools. If we are unable to provide a service that our schools need, we use our combined purchasing power to procure those services in a transparent and cost effective way. This includes a number of jointly procured services including legal and catering contracts which have already delivered significant savings to our schools.
• Financial support - Pathfinder Schools provide schools with new tools and techniques for managing finances so that they are able to plan for and respond to the changing needs of the school. Our Chief Financial Officer ensures that the additional requirements associated with being an academy, such as year-end statutory accounts and returns to the Education Funding Agency, are taken care of.
• Bespoke HR - we know that getting staffing right is the key to success and having quality HR support makes all the difference. Pathfinder Schools has employed a highly experienced HR specialist who will be on hand to help you manage your way through your staffing issues.
• Transparent pricing and real savings – our central charge is considerably less than many larger multi academy trusts and our schools clearly see that this charge is spent to support savings within schools.

Supporting Documents

How we work with our communities

We teach our students about their world, and put that into practice with sporting, cultural and social events, trips, fundraising and wider charity initiatives. We are a community at Pathfinder Schools, made up of dedicated staff, supportive parents and dynamic students.